


Grandmother Knows Best

by Silex



Category: Original Work
Genre: Family, Gen, Non-human characters, Trick or Treat: Treat, fox spirits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 09:06:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16115240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silex/pseuds/Silex
Summary: Akari is a fox spirit and as such there are certain expectations her family has of her, expectations that she has yet to meet.





	Grandmother Knows Best

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Irusu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irusu/gifts).



> This was an awesome prompt, one that I fell in love with even though I didn't know much about fox spirits. There certainly are a lot of them though so I hope I did the idea justice.

“You’re a hundred years old,” Akari’s mother huffed angrily, “I don’t see why you haven’t even seduced a mortal man yet.”

“I saw her with that spider demon just the other day,” Akari’s twin sister said, trying to sound scandalized.

“I know him,” her uncle added, coming to her defense, “He could be a good influence on her. You know he once disguised himself as a beautiful maiden and lured a whole regiment of soldiers into his web. Ate every one of them too. You can still hear their ghosts screaming in the canyon where it happened.”

“Who asked for your opinion?” Akari’s mother snapped, “It would be fine if she were learning how to beguile mortal men from him, but clearly that’s not what they’ve been doing.”

Her twin showed her fangs in a wicked smile, “They were reciting poetry.”

“What?” her mother’s yellow eyes flashed brighter in anger, “Poetry!”

“Men like poetry,” Grandmother interrupted, golden fur faded to silver with age and carrying an air of dignity that came with her thousand years of age, “I would often sit by the river and recite the most tragic poems I knew. Men would come to comfort me and be moved to tears. I would tell them that my love had died in battle and left me alone, that he would recite lovely poems to me by that very river and we were so happy together, but now he was gone. I would say that I was waiting by the river in the hope that he might someday return to me, but that I knew it was a vain hope. It was such a sad story and I made myself so lovely that they would return day after day to visit me, watching my beauty fade into something otherworldly as I sat there, never moving even to eat or drink, my eyes glistening with unshed tears the whole time.”

Her mother’s face softened, “We’ve heard this story a thousand times, how you once got a man to cut out his own heart and offer it to you just to make you smile.”

Grandmother nodded sagely, “That was always your favorite story when you were little. But don’t be so hard on Akari, she brought me that most delicious liver from a young woman lost in the woods just last week.”

There was a moment of silence after that. Grandmother’s fondness for liver was well known and tolerated by the family. It was a blind spot of hers, one Akari knew well and to have Grandmother bring it up in her defense was embarrassing.

Mother sighed, “That was the liver of a fawn Grandmother, not a young woman. Akari hasn’t killed a single mortal, man or woman.”

“Are you telling me that I don’t know what the liver of a young woman, lost and fearful in a haunted forest tastes like?” Grandmother said, eyes as silvery as her fur growing wide with mocking disbelief, “It was a fine liver from a fine young woman.”

 “It wasn’t a woman,” Akari’s sister interjected, “It was just a deer.”

“Who asked you to speak?” Grandmother’s tails lashed as she stood up, “The last dozen men you’ve seduced were all drunkards and fools and you had the nerve to bring me back their bitter livers after you murdered them as though I should be impressed. You’re lazy and slovenly and shame me.”

“You do go after low hanging fruit,” her uncle agreed quick, as always, to side with Grandmother.

“You’re too kind to her,” Grandmother turned her outrage to him, “What she goes after is fruit that is laying rotten on the ground.”

“What about that young noble?” Akari’s sister protested.

“You come back smelling of him,” Grandmother agreed, “But I have yet to smell his blood on your hands or fangs. Or tasted his heart or that of the girl betrothed to him.  You should tell him to prove his love to you that he needs to give you her heart. Then you should laugh and slash open his throat with you nails. You’re always talking about how sharp they are.”

Grandmother grinned and lay down, curling up so that she could rest her head on her tails, “Then bring me both their hearts.”

The hearts of young lovers was another favorite treat of Grandmother’s and the family all laughed good naturedly at the suggestion.

Except for Akari, she was trying to slink out of the den.

Her sister caught sight of her and pounced, teeth and eyes flashing with malicious glee, “Coward!”

“Let her go,” Grandmother raised her head, “She’s off to get me the liver of a heartsick young man, gone off to find his beloved who went missing in the woods while picking flowers no doubt.”

“There’s no young man!” Akari’s sister protested, “We’ve told you, it was a just a deer!”

Clicking her fangs, Grandmother stood up, “My hearing must be fading in my old age. It sounded like you were disagreeing with me. So pup, did I just hear you say that I was wrong?”

“No Grandmother,” Akari’s sister released her and slunk back.

“That’s right,” Grandmother lay back down, stretching luxuriantly, “Now let Akari go so she can kill that handsome young man for me.”

“Yes Grandmother,” her sister said resignedly.

The rest of the family might not have agreed, but Grandmother’s word was final and Akari ran gratefully from the den.


End file.
